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This article was original published on RUN.
Standing at the base of the summery slopes of the Taos Ski Valley at 8:58 A.M., Patrick Smyth looked at his watch, looked around, then looked at me and asked, “Is this supposed to start at 9 A.M.?”
I had no idea. I had just road-tripped from Colorado to New Mexico to see some friends and run this race.
Before I could answer, Emma Page Patterson, the only other runner near the start line and clearly a local, chimed in. “Yes, it is,” she said. “But everything here runs on Taos Time, so it will probably be 9:15 or so.”
If you’re a runner, or if you’ve ever met a runner, you know this laissez-faire attitude is a far cry from the uptight norm. But this was mountain running, not marathon running. And while the three of us gathered at the inflatable start/finish line arch of the annual Taos Up & Over 10K trail race on August 5, more than 300 runners with race bibs pinned to their shirts mingled around the base of the ski resort village 200 feet away, seemingly unfazed about when the starting horn would go off. Only Patrick and Emma, who both looked fast, seemed eager to race and ready to blast away from the start line.
I was there, too, but I was eager to run this 6.2-mile loop course up and down the ski mountain mostly for the stunning views of the southern Sangre de Cristo range and maybe the cold beer waiting at the bottom of the mountain. So, to be honest, Taos Time was just fine with me, too.
New Mexico bills itself as the Land of Enchantment, and the Taos Up & Over 10K is an enchanting trail race that should be on your summer bucket list if you’re road-tripping through the West. This grueling but rewarding race plays out on a 6.2-mile loop on slopes of the state’s most popular ski resort, starting at a lofty elevation of 9,200 feet at the base of the ski resort village and topping out amid the dizzying air of 11,819 feet.
Relishing in Resort Running
Since trail running began slowly growing as a sport in the early 1980s, a lot of the focus has been on ultra-distance races of 50K and longer that attract committed endurance fiends who invest serious amounts of training time. That’s definitely not for everyone. But all along there have been a wide range of shorter races—including many on the summertime slopes of ski resorts—that offer a more democratic approach to trail running.
Those smaller, regional races, like the Up & Over 10K, attract plenty of experienced mountain runners, fast road runners, and novice runners alike. But they also open up trail running to a wide variety of mountain town participants who don’t necessarily identify as runners but are willing and eager to take the challenge, as well as vacationing tourists who might be completely unaware of what they’re getting into.
And that’s what makes these kinds of trail races so much fun. They’re low-key events that usually end with a post-race afterparty or barbecue and live music from a local band. Plus, they’re usually short enough for anyone to finish, but stout enough for everyone to enjoy the temporary wrath of long, sustained ascents that often require power hiking and always reduce even the fittest of folks to gasping for their next breath.
I was just excited to run in a place that was new to me, and work up an appetite for the spicy Northern New Mexican cuisine I had been told about.
Eventually, race director Dan Vaughan, who is also the executive director and “captain of chaos management” for the Taos Ski Valley Chamber of Commerce, thanked runners for registering and rattled off some final course pointers. Then he counted down from five, blew his airhorn, and sent us on our way up the mountain. As speedy runners dashed off the front, I settled into the middle of the pack and started chugging my way up the ski area service road that immediately felt steeper than it had looked.
“It’s not an easy climb, especially if you’re trying to run fast,” Vaughan had warned. “But, once you get up there, the view is pretty spectacular.”
Vaughan was right. On the way up, we were treated to stunning views of 12,481-foot Kachina Peak and 13,167-foot Wheeler Peak, the tallest mountain in the state. The scenery didn’t help me run faster, but it was inspiring and memorable. I was huffing and puffing up the climb, sometimes running, sometimes hiking with my hands on my knees, and sometimes getting passed by an 11-year-old who didn’t seem to be breathing hard at all.
Finally, after about 48 minutes of grinding uphill, I reached the top, just below 12,000 feet. That’s when the fun really began. With gravity on my side, I bombed down the exhilarating technical descent through high alpine terrain, weaving along singletrack trails through a lush forest, leaping over small streams, and feeling like that 11-year-old kid who seemed to get farther ahead of me the faster I ran.
When I got to the bottom of the mountain and passed through the inflatable arch finish line, music was pumping and people were smiling, many enjoying post-race snacks and drinks. The race was challenging for everyone—including Smyth, who won in 53:16 with a three-minute cushion over the second-place finisher—but you could tell almost everyone was beaming with excitement.
“It’s a brutal climb, but I recommend it because it kind of cleans you up mentally and physically,” says Carlos Aragon, a Taos local who brought his kids and persuaded them to run or walk the race. “I love the outdoors, and there’s nothing like northern New Mexico. But the reason I bring my kids here is to challenge them, to show them that when life gets hard, you have to keep going. You can’t give up. So that’s why I want to come back and do this race every year.”
Every running road trip offers new experiences, new challenges, and new ways to mingle with local running communities. Taos has a plethora of great eateries and a handful of stellar brewpubs—including Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership, which has free live and low-cost concerts in its own outdoor music shell. If you visit Taos, be sure to spend time at the Taos Pueblo, the only living Native American community designated as both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark.
Taos Up & Over 10K
August 3-4, Taos, New Mexico
The Taos Up & Over 10K weekend also features a secondary race called VerticAL’s VertK, a daunting uphill challenge up Taos’ famed long and steep Al’s Run ski trail directly under Chairlift 1, (and the Double Trouble Challenge for those who run both races) as well as a 1K kids up-and-down trail race at the bottom of the mountain.
If you’re not passing through New Mexico this summer, no sweat. Here are 11 more iconic mountain races worthy of a road trip.
Whiteface Mountain Races
July 13, Wilmington, New York
This is a two-race event on the slopes of Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. The day starts at 8 A.M. with the Marshak Mountain Race, a 7-mile lollipop up and down the mountain with 4,000 feet of vertical gain and loss, followed by a grueling vertical kilometer race with 3,200 feet of vertical gain over 3 miles.
Teton Mountain Runs
July 13-14, Jackson, Wyoming
This two-day event offers three races through the high alpine terrain of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Bridger-Teton National Forest—the Cirque 30K on Saturday, followed by the Cody Peak 50K and Wild 15K on Sunday.
Cirque Series Snowbird
July 13, Snowbird Utah
Part of the six-race Cirque Series around the West, this 8.7-mile race includes 3,566 feet of vert as runners race up and down Snowbird mountain resort. As race organizer Julian Carr says, the elevation is serious but the mileage is manageable, and the race is as hardcore as you want it to be. (This year’s race is doubling as the U.S. Mountain Running Championships.)
Devil’s Gulch Trail Runs
July 13-14, Wenatchee, Washington
Devil’s Gulch Trail Runs includes a trail half marathon as well as 50- and 100-mile ultrarunning races at Mission Ridge Ski Area in the eastern foothills of the Cascades.
Dirty Burg Trail Races
July 20, Belmont, Michigan
The Dirty Burg’s 10K, 25K, and 50K races are run on a 10K loop consisting of about 5.5 miles on beautiful rolling singletrack trails plus a 0.7-mile run up and down the steep slopes of Cannonsburg Ski Area.
Arrowhead Half Marathon and 5K
August 17, Avon, Colorado
The loop course of the Arrowhead Half Marathon is a challenging but scenic tour of the wildflower-infused summer slopes of Beaver Creek ski resort with 3,000 feet of total elevation gain, while the point-to-point 5K traverses the lower slopes from the Ritz-Carlton at Bachelor Gulch to the finish line at Arrowhead.
Mozo Double Up
August 18, Stowe, Vermont
The 11-mile run up and down the slopes of Stowe Mountain Resort features 11,000 feet of vertical gain and descent with numerous steep climbs and descents, and a lot of rugged, exposed terrain. Due to the capacity limit, race organizers required runners to enter a recent half-marathon, marathon, or ultra-marathon race result in order to register..
Jay Peak Trail Running Fest
Aug 31-Sept 2, Jay, Vermont
This annual Labor Day trail running festival at Jay Peak Resort (just south of the U.S.-Canadian border) features trail races of 11, 22, and 33 miles, plus a variety of 5K trail races. The spectator-friendly races all start and finish in front of the Stateside Hotel and Baselodge.
Waterville Valley Mountain Race
September 22, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
The USATF-New England Mountain Racing Circuit offers some of the best trail running races in the East. This 7-mile one-lap, up/down race over the grassy ski slopes and gravel service roads of the ski resort terrain is a good example of what Beast Coast trail running is all about.
The Rut Mountain Runs
September 13-15, Big Sky, Montana
One of the top mountain running events in the U.S., the Rut regularly draws 4,000 runners for its rugged 11K, 21K, 28K, 50K, and Vertical K races (plus dozens of kids for the 1K Runt Run, too) at Big Sky Resort.
Mammoth TrailFest
Sept 19-22 Mammoth Lakes, California
This four-day festival features 26K and 50K races and the infamous Dragon’s Back Ascent Vertical K race—a 2,400-foot ascent over a 3-mile course— that celebrates “donuts, dirt, and epic trail running” at Mammoth Mountain ski resort.
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